Come Home
by ZBBZL
Summary: "So, yeah, right about now, I'd rather go home to my Kensalina trying to cook me dinner than watch you go…" Set through season 4 finale, "Descent." A little something inspired by the press release and spoilers. KD.


**Title**: Come Home  
**Timeline**: set during season 4 finale, "Descent."  
**Summary**: "So, yeah, right about now, I'd rather go home to my Kensalina trying to cook me dinner than watch you go…"

_Just a little something in anticipation of the season finale, from the press release and spoilers we got about the shuffling of partners, Kensi and Callen going overseas as Sam and Deeks stay in Los Angeles to take care of the crazy nuclear weapons, Michelle/Quinn and Sidorov ordeal. A little cute moment between our favorite duo in the middle of what is going to be a very intense, dark episode that will leave us all crying on the floor like babies.  
_

_To Jess who, I hope, found a little bit of joy in this in the midst of all her crazy exams, and possibly some strength to ace them all. _

_Hope you all enjoy. :) And after this crazy past week of updates, I am going back to my studying! That said, on with the story. :)  
_

* * *

It takes a moment for the news to sink in, and when realization dawns on him, Marty Deeks doesn't quite know how to react.

Never before has he ever thought it could all end tonight, that he – and the rest of the world – may not see another sunrise.

And Hetty is asking him to face that without his partner ? To trust _someone_ _else_ with _her_ life ?

He remembers another day, another completely different situation when Agent Hunter had separated them, shuffling the pairs of partners and forcing him to spend a day with Sam as Kensi had left with Callen. He remembers Kensi's words, "_orders are orders, do what we're told, make it a lot easier,"_ and he doesn't see how letting his partner leave his sight and not being there to have her back can make any of _this_ a lot easier.

Orders are orders, though. And even if he knows that Callen would never let anything happen to her, that he'd lay down his life for her in a heartbeat, Deeks knows he'll find no peace until she's back home, safe and sound – back to him, where she belongs. The only thing that does reassure him just a little is that Kensi doesn't seem pleased with the idea either, if the stern look on her face and the way her hands clench on the edge of the console are any indication. Gently, Deeks brings a hand to her back, lightly rubbing up and down before settling it on the small of her back; it's a gentle pressure, barely there but there nonetheless; the fact that Kensi doesn't nudge him in the ribs doesn't compete with the smile she gives him, small and sweet and a little bit sad.

Hetty dismisses them then, leaving the operation center to make some phone calls to God only knows whom, giving them a few moments to get used to the idea that in the span of the next hour, they'll have to place their trust and lives in someone else's hands.

Deeks' own life isn't what matters to him at the moment, though.

They all watch Sam follow Hetty, his desperation clear on his worried features; Deeks feels guilty for a moment, but then his eyes land on Kensi again and all bad feelings fly off the window. This woman at his side – this beautiful, badass, reckless, insane woman – is his everything; his partner, his best friend, and nothing and no one have ever meant this much to him. He just can't imagine watching her go when the world's at war and the outcome's never been so unsure, when, for the first time, he can't joke around, can't find anything funny or witty to throw to ease the palpable tension.

If something happens to her, it's on him.

If something happens to her, he will never forgive Hetty.

_If something happens to her…_

Kensi turns to him, so quickly that she bumps her forehead to his chin, and then her hand is on his face at the same time as his reaches for her forehead, gentle fingers brushing against sore skin before retreating just as fast. She mumbles an apology before taking a step back, giving a quick glance sideways to Callen who's pretending to talk to Eric about the pertinent details of their impending flight. "I, uh, I'd better go make my bag," she says softly, looking down at her feet. "I'll see you in a bit."

He barely has time to open his mouth that she's gone, the sliding doors opening and closing behind her.

Deeks turns to Callen, finding the team leader staring at him from across the room, but the look in his eyes is hard to define, nothing he's ever seen; more than once has Callen looked at them like he could just read them like an open book and knew all the secrets held in one lingering gaze or a brush of fingers, but right now, it's not that. Instead, Deeks feels like there's some level of understanding between the two of them in that moment, and in a way there _is_ because Callen is also about to leave his partner behind.

Callen doesn't love his partner, though.

They're about to walk down the stairs when Deeks grabs him by the arm, and Callen doesn't even look surprised by that. Without a word, he follows him to one of the large, arched windows, and both men lean in, hands on the ledge, silently watching outside for a moment, eyes lost in the glowing light of a perfect afternoon.

"You take care of her," Deeks finally says after a long minute, his eyes never wavering from the little spot on the glass he's focusing on.

"'Course I will," Callen shrugs; as much as he does understand Deeks' nervousness, he doesn't need him to remind him to watch out for Kensi. She's his friend, and he's been working with her for a long time now – he would never let anything happen to her.

Deeks turns to him, rising anger flashing in his blue eyes – never has Callen seen them this dark. "You take care of her," he repeats, his hands closing in fists at his side. "She's my partner. _My_ _partner_."

A small smile tugs at Callen's lips, something that doesn't seem to amuse Deeks. Callen raises his hands in a peace-offering gesture, locking his eyes with their liaison officer. "Deeks. I know. I don't like the idea of you and Sam together either, if you must know." Callen chuckles then, a twinkle in his eye that Deeks is kind of stunned to see. "I mean, that's clearly not Hetty's smartest move there. But we do what we have to, Deeks. You take care of my partner, I take care of yours. We stick to that plan and everything's gonna be fine."

"Didn't know you were such an optimist," Deeks snorts, crossing his arms over his chest as he leans against the wall; from there he can see Kensi biting her lip as she stands by her locker, retrieving her things and making her bag. All alone in the bullpen – Sam is nowhere to be found and Hetty must be in her office – she lets the guard down, and Deeks can see the frown on her face as she steadily focuses her eyes on her actions, concentrated on the task at hand. Her fingers are shaking, though, and if Deeks can see it from where he stands…

He feels a hand on his shoulder then, Callen's fingers squeezing lightly for barely a second or two before the moment is gone. "Don't worry, Deeks. Kensi's a big girl."

"I'm not questioning her skills."

"I know. I know," Callen replies in a low voice, his eyes following Deeks' gaze and landing on Kensi. "I'm just saying. I'm not asking you to be happy about it, but... Just have a little faith in her, okay ? It's not gonna help anyone if all she's thinking about is you worrying over her. Or if she's worrying over you and driving me crazy, by the way."

"Because your little married couple thing with Sam is not gonna drive her crazy, maybe ?" Deeks easily counters, the ghost of a grin crossing his lips. "Everybody knows you're jealous of Michelle."

"And this is my cue to leave and find my partner," Callen replies with a chuckle. He gives a little punch to Deeks' shoulder before walking to the stairs. He turns when he reaches the top, giving Deeks a nod of his head. "I need to talk to Sam. So, if you wanna tear up a little bit, you'd better do it while there's no witness."

Deeks nods back, gratitude in his eyes as Callen gives him a smile before heading down the stairs. He waits for another moment before following the same path; the bullpen is surprisingly silent and empty as he steps in, one quick glance around proving him that they are alone, no Hetty at her desk, no Sam, no Callen. Kensi is leaning against her desk, her bag ready at her feet, and she greets him with a warm smile, albeit a little forced.

"Hey," she says simply, her voice slightly faltering with the nervousness she can barely hide from him. "You already got rid of your new partner ?"

He makes his way to her, mirroring her position at her side. Gently, he nudges her with his foot, a playful yet charming – or so he hopes – smile on his lips. "Didn't want anyone else but you."

Kensi tries to fight it, but in the end, the smile that tugs at her own lips betrays her every protest that she didn't just _swoon_ a little bit. "Charmer," she chides him, rolling her eyes. "That may work with girls, but not with me."

"You _are_ a girl, though," Deeks says, his eyes unabashedly roaming down the length of her body. He cocks an eyebrow at her, waiting for the punch that doesn't come – that's just how serious the situation is. "And don't pretend you're not melting inside right now. I know you, Fern. You're powerless to resist me."

Kensi snorts, but otherwise doesn't deny it. "We'll see if that charm helps you with Sam."

Oh, she just gave him that one so easily it's almost embarrassing, like stealing candy from a child. "So you do admit I am charming ?" he asks, his voice dripping with seduction as he brings a single fingertip to her arm. "I knew it!"

"Oh, dial down the ego, Lover Boy," Kensi says, unable to suppress a smile. His grin only grows wider, and Kensi almost loses herself in that moment, in the playful banter that is so undeniably part of their _thing_; it's not enough today though to help her forget what's going on.

She bows her head just a little and Deeks catches the change of mood immediately – it's not like he could have kept on with his teasing for much longer, anyway. He uncrosses his arms to lay a hand on her desk behind her, briefly touching his fingers to the skin at her back revealed by her slightly too small shirt. He feels the shivers his touch brings but instead of gloating and smirking, he just presses his hand more fully against her skin, his thumb hooking in the waist of her jeans. "You know, sometimes I wonder what it's like to lead a normal life," he starts softly. "Something simple, like going to work, saying goodbye at the end of the day and go home to a nice little family. Sleep tight without worrying over nuclear bombs and terrorists."

"_We'd_ get bored after a week," Kensi replies, lifting up her head to meet his eyes. "I mean, you'd get bored _and_ I'd get bored, if I led a life like that."

"Sure you would, Wonder Woman," Deeks chuckles, his fingers getting bolder as he slowly strokes the skin of her back. "You need your adrenaline rush to stay alive. But just imagine it. I feel like the past three years took ten years off me. Last year, Callen got arrested and Hetty resigned," he continues, lifting one finger of his free hand. "The year before that ? Our honeymoon got ruined by Hetty resigning, again. And almost dying, too. And the year before that ? I almost got blown up."

The trembling in her body has nothing to do with his daring fingers then; Kensi can't help but shaking as the memories assault her, vivid images flicking before her eyes of Jess Traynor's car bursting into flames, of her burnt body and how she had imagined Deeks' in a similar state. She remembers the pang at her heart when Hetty had told them he was missing, despite the fact that she barely knew him then and was still grieving Dom's loss; she remembers the sheer relief she'd felt once Callen had said he was okay. But above all, what shakes Kensi now is the idea, the very thought that she had almost lost another partner that day; that it could happen _any_ day.

And that they _would_ be safe – at least, _safer_ – if they led a normal life; husband and wife, a couple kids and a dog.

And that she doesn't find the idea as ridiculous as she's tried to pretend.

"So, yeah, right about now, I'd rather go home to my Kensalina trying to cook me dinner than watch you go…" He tries to shrug, but the seriousness in his tone is just too heavy to be veiled.

And before he can try to dismiss it with a teasing comment, Kensi's in his arms, her own tightly wrapped around his back.

She's hugging him, her face buried into his chest, her body snugly pressed against his, and it takes all but a second for Deeks to respond; his arms snake around her as he nuzzles his face in her hair, his lips brushing her ear as he whispers softly, "You be careful, okay ?"

"_You_ be careful," Kensi tells him, her voice muffled by strangled tears forming a lump in her throat. "You hear me ? You promised me you'd never get yourself killed. You _promised_, Deeks."

"Same goes for you, partner," Deeks says as quietly, the low rumble of his voice lost in her dark curls. He tightens his hold on her and feels Kensi doing the same, her hands clutching at his back desperately, her fingers gripping at the fabric of his shirt. "Remember what you told me when I got shot ?" he asks her, and he feels her nod against his chest. "You told me I wasn't getting rid of you so easily. Same goes for you. I know that if I died, you'd kill me. I'm not gonna do that to you. But you have to promise you'll come back, too."

Kensi pulls back just a little then, never loosening her hold on him but just enough to look him in the eye. Slowly, she nods, her teeth worrying her bottom lip; she doesn't trust her voice in that moment. Deeks lifts a hand to her face, his fingers brushing her cheek as his thumb finds the dent of her lips; gently, he pries them open, softly tracing the contour of her mouth. "You come back to me in one piece, okay ?" She nods again, and throwing all caution to the wind, Deeks leans in, pressing his lips to her cheek in a lingering kiss.

Her hands leave his back to settle on his hips, her fingers hooking in his belt. When Deeks pulls back, Kensi tiptoes, enough to reciprocate and drop a gentle kiss to the very corner of his mouth. It barely lasts a second and then she takes a step back, her fingers briefly brushing his as she straightens, holding her chin up. "When this is all over, you still owe me that dinner at Crustacean. So you better make it out alive."

"That's a date," he grins.

Her smile beats him in mischief, the playful spark in her eye oh so sexy. They hear footsteps getting closer, and Sam and Callen are back – Sam, looking less than pleased by the entire situation, and Callen with a knowing smile adorning his lips. He goes to his locker to grab his bag as Sam just stands there, his arms crossed over his chest, a questioning look in his eyes as he takes them in; their proximity, the telling intimacy it claims and the rosy blush tinting Kensi's cheeks.

"Yeah, it is," she whispers, her voice so low that her words are for Deeks only to hear. "Ready to go whenever you are, Callen," she adds, louder, turning to their team leader.

"Don't kill Deeks while we're gone," Callen teases as they walk out, flashing a grin to Sam who just answers with a grunt. "Kensi would starve if it wasn't for him refilling her candy stash."

"Would not!" Kensi groans, punching him in the arm. But, as they cross the door, she turns one last time to Deeks, offering him a gentle, reassuring smile.

He might not be a lip-reader like she is, but the words she mouths are easy for him to decode.

_Don't die_.

Her phone buzzes barely fifteen seconds later, signaling a new text message.

_Come back to me._

Callen pretends not to notice the smile playing on her lips during the whole drive.

* * *

_the end_


End file.
